AZ Libertarians At The Mercy Of Independents For Ballot Access

Earlier today I had a conversation with someone who was defending the new third party signature requirement in Arizona’s recently passed HB2305. This bill requires Libertarians and Greens in Arizona to collect more signatures than they have registered members in their party if they want to be on their own primary ballot.

This person who is a well known Republican in Arizona told me that since Independents will be able to sign the petitions, and since Independents make up a third of the registered voters, third party groups should stop complaining and start embracing Independents.

I asked him how he would feel if half the signatures Republicans had to get in order to be on a primary ballot had to come from Democrats. Would he be comfortable with that? Absolutely not, he said. Then why should Libertarians and Greens be happy that more than half of their primary ballot signatures will have to come from Independents who have no ideological or political connection to them? He had no answer.

Recently a referendum to repeal HB2305 was filed by a group called the Protect Your Right To Vote Committee. I will be doing all I can to help and support this group. I have asked for petitions and will be circulating them in Coconino County.

Barry Hess, of the Protect Your Right to Vote Committee, and Communications Director/ Vice Chair, of the Arizona Libertarian Party recently debated the Arizona Republican Communications Director on PBS over HB2305.

This is a must watch discussion as Hess explains the facts while the Republican representative spews a steady stream of lies and half truths.

The discussion starts about two minutes in. You can watch the whole thing here:

So Arizonans rejected Top Two, but the legislature arranged its objective anyway, which was to crush third parties.

Sickening how far politicians will go to secure their power. “Fairness for the voters.” What a joke.

I wouldn’t vote for that Kwasman character either, who seems to think this is grand, and who doesn’t even live here. If they succeed in shutting out third parties, and the choice is between a corporatist and warmonger in a blue jersey, and a corporatist and warmonger in a red jersey, and no one else, then I won’t vote at all, and it sounds like I’m not alone.

This was a bad move. It makes them look power hungry and desperate. The AZ-GOP will be hoisted with their own petard. Shame on Barton, Thorpe and Crandell.